Becky's Greatest Hits Vol. II

 After hearing several people, including my boss, talk about how awesome this show is....I finally had to give it shot.  And I was hooked. Within minutes.  I think I didn't expect to like it because I wasn't really a fan of Yellowstone, another well-known Taylor Sheridan joint.  But dare I say, this show has more heart?  It's more relatable?  The characters are move endearing?  I mean.....honestly.....that's all mostly true.  In Yellowstone, I really didn't think I had anyone to root for.  Well, besides Kayce of course.   It was also all the hub-bub of Sam Elliott's speech about aging and the breakdown of the body.  I kept hearing about it again and again so I had to look that up first.  After that short snippet, like any good first-time user I needed a bigger hit.  So I downloaded the entire first season. I did not realize this show has very nearly every goddamm thing I love about life: strong family ties, gorgeous a...

 Current mood is brought to you by: looming birthday, bipolar perimenopause, old lady broken heart and the nesting that ensues after all of it comes down at once. And bonus vibes of past failures: if I had stuck out the first marriage, today would have been my 27th anniversary.

  Switch it up, play a new game Even though it's nice, I don't do vain Had to shake it up like loose change Same ol' me, just a new day, oh yeah These are some things you should know I won't stop, I'ma keep going It's a little unfair But I'm living like that....

 

 So.  We had a pretty prolific snowstorm here in North Carolina in late January.  I cooked, I read, napped, journaled and watched a lot of streaming services! This fascinating documentary, set in Providence, Rhode Island, is a timely and sophisticated look at modern consumerism, gentrification, gorilla art, underground music and city politics.   I only watched about 20 minutes of this before I pulled the plug because it that amount of time, it seemed to me, that this film would do whatever it takes to shock, titillate and pretty much gross the viewer the hell out. I'm no prude, but I didn't see it getting any better.  Even with its stellar cast. It kinda reminded me of the shitty overhyped Hollywood from a few years back. It could have been a great series.  The cast and the subject matter almost guaranteed it.  But like Babylon it was trying so hard to shock that it failed to be engaging.  I bailed on this one after just one episode I think. ...

 If you're looking for a timely, rebellious, insightful and insane flick.....welp.....you have found it. And if you're like me and consider Running on Empty one of your favorite films and love books like The Company You Keep and have a lot of respect for Set It Off and Public Enemy and BLM and pretty much all things anti-government.  Yeah.  This one's for you. And no, it is absolutely not like your typical Paul Thomas Anderson film, which by the way, are not usually my bag.  But this one......well.....even though some of the plot was fairly predictable, I was still on the edge of my seat until the last scene.   Of course, the performances are stellar, but it's no wonder everyone is talking about Teyana Taylor.  She's like Dame Judi Dench in Shakespeare in Love .....not a lot of on-screen time, but every second of it matters.  Of course my favorite is Benicio.  I mean, we go way back.  I haven't gotten over him since Traffic . ...

 Oh, Adam.....you majestic whiny delicate artist of a man.  If I had known you, I know I would have dated you and then hated you. I did and still do love Counting Crows and Adam.  I love how this documentary really takes you back to the 90's......the time of sensitive, intelligent bands and singer-songwriters.  I like how Adam is willing to make fun of himself and the time we all lived in because it did generate it's share of jokes.  I love that he talks about his dreadlocks and his old romances and how different celebrity culture is now.  It makes me glad that the culture, by and large, has stopped punching down, takes mental health more seriously and looks back with nostalgia at what was truly a very, real and sincere time of creativity in America.   My favorite part of this doc on former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, is that it is told in her own voice from her recorded audio diaries.  What a gift her lovely Texas voice is!  I love h...

 

 It's always brutal when South Park or the Simpsons manage to predict something.  But then again, Trey and Matt are clever scoundrels. So here we are again.  Another boring white woman talking about the weight loss conundrum.  Le sigh. I've talked about body issues , weight ,  and, uh, women's issues  on this blog before, and I'm sure I'll do it again.  I grew up feeling fat mainly because television, magazines aimed at teenage girls and other mean girls told me I was.  My mother never told me I was.  Neither did my big sister.  And neither did any boy I ever liked.  But society constantly did.  I grew up like most girls, feeling confused by all of that.  Once I got old enough to realize I was curvy and "filled out" and that wasn't a bad thing, I made my peace with it.  But I was always sad (and still am) when I see a picture of myself and I'm the heaviest women in it.  Sigh.  I guess it never goes away...

 Can we all just agree that New Year's Eve is the worst of the string of winter holidays?  I would even go so far as saying it's THE WORST of all the holidays.  I loved when Stanford Blatch defined a party as feeling very "forced festive".  To me, most NYE parties feel that way.  The idea that this is a big year-end blow-out and we'd all damn well better make it awesome! The reason I hate NYE is because it combines two of things I most hate about celebrations: cold weather and crowds.  Plus it's during a time of year when everyone has already spent all their money.  AND you usually have to the leave the house.  ADDITIONALLY, you have to stay up late.  It's a big F.U. from me on all this.   I would dare say that some of my happiest New Year's memories have been spent at home in my pajamas with either my child, an S.O. or happily alone.  I remember one unforgettable year of moving into a 3rd floor apartment on NYE.  I rememb...